In 1963, the second vatican Council gathered in its first session;
the bishops of the Catholic Church met together and overwhelmingly
approved a new document on which they had spent much time and effort:
the Constitution on Liturgy. This document is, without any
doubt, the most important single statement about our prayer life that
has been given us in the last four hundred years. Nevertheless, some
of the basic principles of this document have yet to be widely and
accurately understood. It may perhaps take another generation for the
sound teaching of the Church to take root fully in our lives and in
our prayer.

Even now, over twenty years later, we can still learn from the Constitution
of the Liturgy. As with Scripture, we can go back again and again
to this document, acquire new insights, refresh our understanding,
and see how we can pray more effectively.

One principle, found in paragraph ten of the Constitution, is of decisive
importance.

The Liturgy is the summit toward which
the activity of the Church
is directed;
it
is also the fount from which all powers flows.

This
fundamental principle is explained in detail by the bishops of the Church.
Using Scripture, tradition, and past teaching, they show us convincingly
what the liturgy is and why it is so important.

The liturgy is something that is done by Jesus Christ, in his humanity;
this is why he is present in the Church, especially in her celebrations
of the liturgy. He is present in the person of the bishop, priest,
or deacon. He is present in what the Eucharist Prayer calls the "Bread
of Life" and the "Cup of Salvation." He is present by
his power in all the sacraments, so that when someone baptizes, it
is Christ who baptizes. When Scripture is proclaimed in the assembly,
read or preached, it is Christ himself who speaks. When the Chruch
prays and sings together Christ again is present, for example, at Morning
Prayer of evening Prayer, In this way, liturgy is always a personal
encounter with Jesus Christ. We, the Church, do what we do together
with him; this is why we are the members of his Mystical Body. The
bishops do not say that we approach Jesus through Mary; they make the
point that Jesus himself is already present to us in many ways and
is closer to us than any saint, including Mary. One of the strengths
of the liturgy is that we can be close to God the Father precisely
because Jesus is already so very close to us. How is this relationship
expressed in the liturgy? It is not that Mary intercedes for us with
her Son but that Jesus, Mary, and all the saints are interceding for
us with God the Father. Jesus is at the head of his people, leading
us to heaven.

Every celebration of the liturgy, every Mass, every gathering for
Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, every sacrament, is a sacred action
that is more important than anything else the Church does. This is
so because the liturgy is something that is done both by Christ the
Priest and his Body, the Church. Nothing else we do can be more intimately
bound up with Jesus Christ himself.

To understand this teaching, we must reflect on the nature of other
works of the Church. To say that they are less important than the liturgy
is not to say that they are of no importance. Indeed, they too are
important, in many cases, as means to an end. What else does the Church
do? The Council speaks of preaching the Gospel, calling people to conversion—today
often called "evangelization." There are works of charity
piety, and the apostolate, which today is often called "ministry." But
the ultimate purpose of all this effort, in the end, is that people
should believe, that they should be baptized, and that they should
come together to praise God in his Church to offer the Mass and to
receive Communion or , as the bishops put it, "to take part in
the Sacrifice and to eat the Lord's Supper."

There is another kind of activity, the good deeds of individuals who
are members of the Church. The bishops speak of three kinds of this
private activity:
(1)
private prayer, which goes on during the day, without ceasing.
(2)
the offering of our lives as a spiritual sacrifice, so that the life
of Jesus will be seen in our own flesh and blood, and
(3)
popular devotions, including those that are in use by particular ethnic
groups or local Churches. The bishops speak of "individual Churches";
in the United States, we have children and grandchildren of immigrants
from many such "individual Churches" right here. Consequently,
we have a wide variety of such devotions in use to this day.

In addition to the liturgy, the work of the whole Church,
there is also good work on the part of individuals: private prayer,
the offering of our lives, and popular devotions. Such devotions.,
say the bishops, are to be highly recommended, especially where the
Pope asks them to be used or bishops in a given region approve them.
But such devotions, the Church teaches, should fit in with the liturgical
seasons of the year (Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter). That has
nothing to do with May, June, October, or any other month. May in particular
is of no significance in the liturgy; individual prayer, not the public
worship of the whole community.

So, should May devotions in honor of Mary be scheduled,
celebrated, and promoted? Certainly. Should any elements of these devotions,
including Marian hymns, be included in Sunday Mass during May? The
Council clearly teaches that this is not necessary. During May, at
Mass, we should be paying attention to the celebration. Songs for Mass
should be chosen according to the texts of the liturgy itself, not
according to devotions outside the liturgy.

There is plenty of opportunity for Marian hymns at times
when the liturgy itself speaks of Mary and her role in our salvation.
I Advent, for example, both Mary and John the Baptizer are important
figures in our life of faith. In December and January, we commemorate
Mary in such celebrations as the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of
Guadeloupe, and the Solemnity of Mary on January1. Especially at these
times, Marian hymns are most appropriate.

Church teaching in this matter should not be misunderstood.
Liturgical prayer and song should be kept separate and distinct from
devotional prayer and song. This is not to say that it is wrong to
sing hymns to Mary at Mass during May, only that there is no reason
to do so, for someone who is trying to pray in the spirit of the liturgy.
This in not a criticism of Mary or a criticism of Marian devotion;
the Church is simply teaching that such devotional practices should
harmonize with the liturgical seasons, should be in accord with the
liturgy, should in some way be derived from the liturgy. This is so
because by its very nature the liturgy is "far superior" to any of
these practices. That is the direct and explicit teaching of the Council.

In this respect, the bishops are helping us understand
the role of such devotional practices and are helping us make good
use of them. In their proper place, such individual devotions as
the Rosary, Marian hymns, and novenas can all be good and worthy
of special approval. In such rites and prayers, there can be greater
freedom of expression, to suit individual tastes and needs of particular
groups.

Such was the teaching of the Second Vatican Council in
1963. Some eleven years later, in an apostolic exhortation (a solemn
instruction from the Pope), Paul VI further developed the teaching
of the Council. In Marialis Cultus, he spoke of the times of the year
when Mary is venerated in the liturgy. Especially in Advent and the
Christmas season, he says, there are many liturgical references to
Mary. There are also the special solemnities of March 25 and August
15, as well as lessor feasts in the course of the year. Individual
regions may have special feasts in honor of Mary; one may also use
the Saturday Masses of Our Lady.

In his entire exhortation, the Pope says nothing about
the month of May or about Easter time as having special reference to
Mary. In accord with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, the
Pope draws our attention not to private devotion, individual prayer,
or personal preference. Instead, he looks to the texts of the liturgy,
including the texts of the Missal, to determine how Mary is venerated
in the Church's worship. Again, it is evident that during May our attention
is centered on the risen Christ and his paschal mystery. There are
many other times in the Liturgical Year, as the Pope specifies, when
Mary receives and abundance of attention.

The Liturgical Year, however, is only one way in which
the Pope highlights the role of Mary in liturgy. In this exhortation,
he gives us a sound theology with which Marian piety may be rooted
in the public prayer of the Church. For example, he says that the texts
of prayers and songs in honor of Mary should draw their inspiration
and wording from the Bible, not imagination or fancy. Devotion to Mary,
he says, should be imbued with the great themes of the Christian message,
the texts of Marian hymns have to be chosen with care, so that the
faithful who venerate Mary as the Seas of Wisdom will in turn be enlightened
by God's Word. They will be inspired to live their lives in accord
with Wisdom Incarnate.

Most important of all, the Pope recalls the teaching
of the Second Vatican Council that various practices of piety, such
as Marian hymns, prayers, and devotions, be carried out with consideration
for the Liturgical Year and in harmony with the liturgy. He says that
the faithful must show a willingness to accept guidelines and ideas
drawn from the true nature of Christian worship. But accepting such
theology of the liturgy, will sometimes make it necessary, he says,
to change long-standing customs.

So, the Pope gives us two important guidelines of this
nature. First, some people have eliminated all Marian devotions, have
suppressed all Marian devotions hymns, have created a vacuum which
they do not fill. These people forget, he says, that the Council asked
that such expressions of piety should be harmonized with the liturgy,
not suppressed. Second, there are people who mix practices of piety
(devotions, hymns, or prayers) and liturgical acts in what the Pope
calls "hybrid celebrations." With regard to the Mass, he says that
with such practices there can be a danger that the Eucharistic becomes
the occasion, as it were, for devotional practices. So, he recalls
the rule of the Council that such acts of Marian piety should be harmonized
with the liturgy, not merged into it.

In summary, then, both the Second Vatican Council and
the teaching of the Pope are clear. On the one hand, Marian piety
itself is good. It should be encouraged and fostered. It should
be reformed to agree with the liturgy and should be coordinated with
the Liturgical Year. On the other hand, such private devotion.
in any for, should not be mixed in with the liturgy. The two realms
should be kept separate. Overall, the liturgy should influence Marian
devotion. not vice versa.